Properly feeding animals, particularly farm animals, is absolutely critical for maintaining health and maximizing growth and production. In addition to the obvious requirements of protein, starch and fats, animals must receive additional nutrients in substantially lesser amounts. These nutrients such as minerals and vitamins are absolutely critical for the health of the animals. Unfortunately, animals will not feed on a 100% nutrient composition in the correct amounts. Therefore, the nutrients must be provided to the animals in a way so that the correct amounts are consumed.
One way to provide the nutrients to the animal is to mix them with the other feed ingredients that provide protein, starch and fat. Premixes of minerals and vitamins can be obtained and added to the bulk feed of the animal. Generally these are combinations of free flowing meals and powders of different sizes, shapes and densities. These nutrient products do not remain suspended in the bulk feed and tend to separate.
Further, it is difficult to keep these mixed adequately to maintain an even concentration of a nutrient throughout the bulk feed. Another disadvantage is that the nutrients separate from each other both in bulk and in the feed because of the different sizes, shapes and densities. A solution to this is to form processed feed particles which includes nutrients. However, for many farmers to invest in the manufacturing process to produce these products is cost prohibitive.
Bulk feed supplements which are over 26% protein and which farmers can feed to animals with other grain products are also known. But these are used at high concentration and are designed to be an animal's protein source and nutrient source. No care was ever given to maintaining these suspended in bulk feed.